The perception that Major League Soccer is a retirement alternative for elite veterans is not entirely fair, although, MLS is widely known for luring these foreign aging superstars into the league with bumper offers, which sometimes end up being a regret. Here's a list of the four regrettable signings in Major League Soccer history:
1 Rafa Marquez — New York Red Bulls
Marquez signed a $15m deal to “compliment” Frenchman Thierry Henry, but the former Mexican international eventually turned out to be a miserable flop. He apparently collected silly bookable offenses, the most time he is given red cards.
Several times he insulted his teammates on and off the field. He was also suspended three consecutive times (once by his own club, the other two by the league). He violently threw the ball at former US captain Landon Donovan and pretended to be “punched” in the face. Rafa Marquez never won a playoff round for his team.
Marquez once publicly said this after a lousy performance, “ I believe this is a teamwork game and unfortunately enough there is not an equal level between me and my teammates.” After publicly expressing this detestable statement, New York Red Bulls management were forced to release Rafa Marquez.
2. Lothar Matthaus — MetroStars
Undoubtedly, it was another terrible signing to a New York-based team.
Lothar Matthaus was a Ballon d'Or Winner and World Cup legend from Germany when he debuted in the Major League Soccer. Matthaus was at the age 39 at that time, being uninterested and washed up — having been caught vacationing with his girlfriend in Saint Lopez when he was purportedly rehabbing a leg injury in the mid-season.
Lothar Matthaus never scored a single goal in sixteen matches with the MetroStars before announcing his retirement following his woeful one-year sojourn with the New York team.
3. Denilson — FC Dallas
Denilson was a World Cup winner with the Brazilian national team in 2002, a record transfer from the Spanish La Liga where he was a “juggling wizard.” But in the Major League Soccer, the Brazilian was a mere jerk who only scored just one goal (through a penalty-kick) in eight games, though he was mostly flashy with little “substance” and only lasted less than a year with FC Dallas.
That was the story and sojourn of Denilson's MLS career, as it turned out.
4. Marcelo Gallardo — DC United
The Argentine forward was reportedly the highest paid player in the club's history, earning an annual salary of about $1.89 million before negotiating an exit after spending just one season with DC United in 2008. Marcelo Gallardo dealt with all sort of injuries during his time with the capital team and only scored just four goals in fifteen games.
